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Mitch’s smile turned sad. “So this is it. You’re really going to sell part of your herd. Unbelievable.”
“It is hard to believe, isn’t it?” she said, her voice gone rough at the thought. She shrugged her shoulders. “But it’s almost done. Nate’ll be good to them.”
“Just make sure it’s what you want,” Mitch said before ambling toward the machine shed. “And if you change your mind and discover you can’t live without a double-cheese bacon burger, let me know.”
“I will.”
She heard the sound of Nate Edwards’s truck before she saw the big rig lumbering down the drive, a long horse trailer in tow, dust clouding behind.
Forcing a smile she didn’t feel, Tessa waved as Nate ground the truck to a stop. He hopped out of the cab, and his daughter, Sherrie, unbuckled the straps from her car seat and jumped to the ground. “Tessie!” she squealed delightedly as she ran pell-mell into Tessa’s waiting arms.
“How’re you, sugarplum?” Tessa asked, hoisting the spirited child into the air.
“I want to see my new horse! Where is he?” she demanded. Her plump arms were crossed firmly over her chest.
“She,” her father said, laughing. “You get one of the mares, remember?”
“Where is she then?”
“Over here.” Tessa carried Sherrie to the fence beyond which Red Wing switched her tail, her body already round with the foal growing inside.
“I want to ride her!”
“You will.”
“Right now!”
“Not on your life,” Nate said, grinning widely as he plucked Sherrie out of Tessa’s arms. “Maybe later, when we get home.”
“But Tessa promised she’d teach me how to ride!”
“I will,” Tessa vowed. “When your mom and dad say it’s okay.”
“That’ll be never,” Sherrie grumbled, her lower lip protruding unhappily.
“‘Never’ has a way of coming back to haunt you,” Tessa said. “Sometimes when you least expect it or don’t want it.” How many times had she promised herself she would never fall in love with Denver McLean again?
Sherrie regarded Tessa mutinously, as if her special friend had turned coat and joined the enemy camp.
“I should have called you,” Tessa said to Nate. “Brigadier’s got a bruised sole. Cassie Aldridge looked at the hoof and told me it would be fine if we kept up the poultices and let him rest, but if you’d rather wait—”
“No way. Just let me take a look at him.”
Tessa’s heart nearly dropped to the ground. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized how much she wanted Nate to change his mind—or at least put off his decision.
In the stallion barn, Nate examined the rather spirited Brigadier and laughed when the stallion tried to nip him.
“He looks fine to me,” Nate drawled as they walked outside and stood near the fence next to Sherrie. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and withdrew a check. “Have we got a deal?” he asked.
Tessa felt numb inside, but shoved her worries out of her mind. “We will as soon as we sign the papers. Everything’s in the house.”
“I want to stay out here,” Sherrie declared as her father turned toward the front door. “With my Red Wing.”
“All right, dumplin’,” Nate replied. “Just make sure you stay on this side of the fence.”
“I will.” Clucking her tongue softly and calling to Red Wing, Sherrie climbed the rails and peeked through. Aside from the flick of her pointed ears and the swish of her tail against a few bothersome flies, the mare didn’t move.
The house was cool inside. Tessa led Nate to the study and sat behind the desk so recently vacated by Denver. She could smell his after-shave in the air.
